The Secret Lives of Fish (A Sequel to The Thirteenth year)
by mermaidhotty
Summary: Based off the DCOM: The Thirteenth Year. Cody left home nine months ago, though he doesn't quite realize it. Living in the ocean and learning a new way of life can do that to a merguy. Now he's going back knowing it will be hard and weird. What's it going to be like living a life he was never meant to live, but the only one he really knows? My idea of a sequel to an amazing movie.
1. Chapter One

**Based off the Disney Channel Original Movie "The Thirteenth Year." I've loved that movie for well more than half my life. Sadly, the interwebs is seriously lacking fanfic devoted to a continuation of the movie. This is my thoughts of what would have happened if there had ever been a sequel. Enjoy!**

O0O0O0O

Sharon Griffin stood at the kitchen sink, scrubbing the same cookie sheet that she had started on five minutes prior. The fresh cookies sat on a cooling rack in the middle of the kitchen table. Her husband Whit was sitting in his study working on another fly for his tackle box. The old light house home was quiet and peaceful, but Sharon felt uneasy. Wiping the bubbles from her hands she finally set the pan aside and looked out the window to where she could just glimpse the horizon.

Her beloved son was out there somewhere. On an overcast day like this where the sky threatened with halfhearted promises of rain, she could only wonder what Cody was up to. Despite the promises that had been made to her by Cody's birth mom, Sharon hadn't seen her son in almost nine months. The school year had started months ago and Jess kept bringing copies of the homework he was sure Cody was going to want when he came home.

If he came home. Fiercely shaking the horrid thought from her mind, Sharon looked away from the gloomy weather and attempted to finish the dirty dishes. Steps sounded behind her and she sighed as her husband wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Hey Hun." He kissed the back of her neck affectionately. There was a pause and she knew he too was now gazing out the window.

"Hey." Not bothering to dry her hands she grasped his forearms and held tight onto him.

Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, he responded to her unspoken worries. "We just keep watching. I don't know how or when, but our son is going to come back to us." Whit wrapped his wife even closer as he felt her shoulders start to shake.

Turning in his grasp she buried her head in his shoulder and let the tears silently fall down her cheeks. The summer had been hard when Cody had first left them. Seeing him leap from the water with a fish tail where his legs had only been moments before had left a hollow feeling in her stomach. Her baby boy was now this strange new creature who was leaving on a great adventure neither she nor her husband could be part of. She saw him like that when she dreamed at night, his pale blue and silver tail slicing through the water in a very fish like way.

Now with time continually slipping on and no sign of him, doubts had begun to seed in her mind and she could no longer refuse them attention.

"What if he can't?" Sharon turned her head up to see her husbands disheartened and worried expression.

Whit didn't say anything at first. Admittedly, he'd had the same thought months ago. The change from human to merman their son had gone through had seemed pretty permanent. He wasn't sure there was a way for him to come home. What if his birth mother had told them he'd come back just so they'd let him go? Then there was the look Cody had given them before he'd left. He'd looked happy, yet sort of melancholy and resigned. Had he somehow known he wouldn't be back and couldn't muster up the strength to tell his parents and friends that it was really goodbye?

But, even with the same doubts, Whit smiled at his wife. "We watch Sharon, and we wait. We have to believe that Cody will find a way. Our son is smart and clever. He'll be back. Trust him."

Sharon dipped her head back down and took one more shuddering breathe and finally nodded. This was why she loved her husband so much. She would keep watching. No matter how long it took and how many tears she would shed in worry, she would watch and wait. Giving each other one last tight hug, Whit went back to his fishing gear and Sharon returned to her chore with new determination.

O0O0O0O

Cody smiled as he pumped his tail hard and fast, shooting forward in the warm current. The sea life surrounding him seemed to smile back and he sent thoughts of laughter to them. The fish responded in frenzy and swum faster, leaving him behind in their bubbles. Nearby he could hear the call of a whale singing for its pod. Migration had begun a while back and Cody could feel the change surrounding him. Fewer predatory creatures could be seen and the coral was half hibernating.

Even for a while now he had sensed a sort of unease within himself, as if he was changing with the climate in a way he never had as a human. He'd asked his mother about it the other day, but she'd just shook her head. They didn't migrate like the other creatures. In the winter they swum deeper as their skin thickened. There near the dark ocean floor they lived off of plants and different squids or crustaceans. They'd been near the ocean depths for a bit now, Cody's eyes easily adjusting with the lack of filtered sunlight. With the passing thought of winter he glanced down at his tan and smooth skin. He could feel how thick his skin had become, a strange layer of blubber hiding his hard earned muscles slightly. He didn't like the slight pudge it gave him, but he knew he would need the protection for the cold ocean depths. He tried not to think about he, Cody Griffin, had blubber.

With another laugh he flipped his tail and swam out of the ocean current. His mother was calling for him and he was curious to what she would want to talk about. As he swam through the tall and grasses and giant coral fans, he saw other members of his pod. A couple mergirls his age smiled at him, and he smiled back but continued on. He'd made a promise to Sam.

Sam. He sighed at the thought of her. He'd been thinking about her more and more frequently lately. And Jess. And his parents. He wasn't really sure at all how long he had been gone for, but he figured school must be starting soon. Yet he still had no information on how to go back home. He had tried asking others in the pod, especially the elders who were revered for their knowledge, but no one had any answers, or if they did they weren't telling him. He was already an oddity amongst his kind in his own right. Very rarely does a merbaby ever get separated from the pod. Especially not one as young as he had been. From what he'd learned from the pod stories, his mother had been heartbroken for months after she'd seen him taken on land. She'd staid in the cove for weeks, risking exposure and starvation. Finally her husband, his father, had convinced her to go back to the pod.

She'd waited those long years until one day she'd felt a change in the ocean, a change that signaled the change of her son to his full form. There had been an energy coming from the land and cove where she had lost him. She'd made the lonely trip by herself to see if it was really him. Sadly, and too Cody's dismay, his father wasn't able to join her. Lochlan had died a few years before from a bacterial infection due to a shark attack. Cody loved to listen to his mother talk of him and often wished that he'd gotten the chance to meet him.

The fact that his mother had been able to find him, let alone get him to change had been a miracle the pod hadn't heard of in centuries. Most merbabies when lost to land also lost the ability to change into their merform when they turned thirteen. Cody thought he was an exception because he'd always lived so close to the ocean and had swum almost every day of his life. If he'd grown up somewhere dry and landlocked, he'd had become fully human and never changed.

So the fact that he was with the pod now, from what he could gleam from rumors and old memory stories he'd been told, meant he would probably never get his legs back. That didn't keep him from having a hope in the back of his mind that he'd been on land just long enough to be just human enough that it was possible. There had to be a way. Some days he barely thought of his land home and family. Other days when the pod was busy or he felt in the way, he missed them greatly.

While Cody knew the pod was grateful that he was back to lessen his mother's grief, he didn't feel completely accepted by them. He was strange to them, a merman not quite merman. He had to concentrate extremely hard to get his thoughts through clearly when he wanted to communicate. Many times he found himself opening him mouth in frustration, just wanting to talk to them. He'd insulted a couple older mermen that he would try to talk with them in such a crude way as the humans did.

And then there was the whole swimming thing. While he'd been an amazing swimmer on land, he was decidedly slower here with his own kind. Though used to his tail now and good at working one appendage that flowed in the water, he'd been awkward at first. Sometimes he had found himself trying to kick with imaginary legs, sending him spinning head over tail into other merfolk. Now that only happened on very rare occasions.

Not only was the communication different, but so was the culture, the food even the little dress his kind wore. Customs were sometimes really odd and hard for him to grasp, and the laws and rules were almost beyond him. He was adjusting slowly, but lately he had been feeling more and more like he shouldn't be there. Land was calling for him. He loved being a merman and how right he felt in this form, but he missed his home. He missed his girlfriend Sam and his best friend Jess. He missed his mom's homemade cookies and his dad's reassuring smile and advice.

He heard his name called out to him again and he shook his head. His mother sounded urgent and he needed to hurry. Soon he saw her floating ahead near a woven patch of plants. She was fidgeting with a strand of seaweed in her hand, tying then untying it, only to retie it again in a not. Was she worried about something?

Concentrating, Cody sent out a hello to her. She looked up and smiled.

"Brennan," she called back, and Cody sighed.

Apparently, that was his name. He'd tried explaining his name was Cody, but it was an odd name to her and the pod so he'd stopped using it.

"Mother," he thought back.

The mermaid, known as Letha to their pod, dropped the seaweed and swam to her son. He was growing up so handsome and she ran a soft hand down his face. She never grew tired of that face, the one so much like her husband's. With her cherished Lochlan gone she felt having her son back gave her a piece of him.

"I've sensed unease in you." She frowned and tilted her head. "What is the trouble?"

Cody looked down and grabbed his mom's hand. The scales on their palms touched and a surge of energy flowed from him to her and back again. It connected them in an emotional way, a way that made him feel safe and loved. Right now though, it was a way for him to convey how much he missed land.

"My life there." He looked up to the surface. "Is waiting for me. You promised I could go back." He shook his head, hoping all of that got through. He could talk to him mom easier than the others, but he still worried if some it got lost in translation. They didn't necessarily think in words all the time, but used a lot of images with emotions behind them mixed with names and basic words. Sometimes his messages were too much of a jumble of words and not enough images to be understood by the others in his pod. Just another thing that separated him.

His mother separated their hands and looked up to the faraway surface. Her eyes grew sad and wistful.

"Brennan." She looked at him with a sad smile. "To go back." She pictured the buoy where she would watch him from. "It is hard, dangerous and painful."

Finally an answer. "But we promised." He touched his mom's arm. "I don't fit in here."

"Fit in?" Letha looked around. "Fit?"

Cody shook his head and swished his tail. Finally he pictured himself tumbling through the water like a madman. He then pictured the mermaids who had tried to hide their laughter at him.

His mother gave a small, sad smile and nodded. "No, you don't fit in." She grabbed his face gently. "But you are my son. I looked for so long."

They stared into each other's eyes. Cody finally looked away and felt his heart fall. School was going to start and he'd be unable to go.

"Brennan." Cody looked up. Letha tilted her head and gave him that familiar sad smile. "It is past time." She pictured his mom, the one who had raised him, sitting on the rocks of the cove with a backpack gazing out at the sea.

"Past time?" Wait, what? He thought it through in his head. He'd only been gone for a few months, right? No, that was wrong. He would have kicked himself if he could have. School had probably already started. How far into winter was it? He glanced at his skin again. Time was so irrelevant when you lived far below the waves, he honestly didn't know what day it was in the human world.

He sent his mother another, stronger thought of urgency. "I have to get back." Then quieter and softer. "Please."

He pictured himself with legs the best he could. It was harder than he thought and finally he formed an image of him mostly human sitting on the sand in the cove.

"I understand." His mom grabbed his hands. "You will go back to them. Come home when you feel the need."

"Feel?" He asked.

"You'll miss it." She smiled. "You are part of the sea, Brennan. Connected." She placed a hand over his heart. "It calls to us here, strongly. Don't ignore it." He felt a strong warning and nodded.

"I must go, mother." Cody looked at her pleadingly.

"Go to the surface." Letha pictured the cove at night. "Secretly lay on dry sand." Then she pictured him touching his hands together. "Imagine you are human; focus." He felt an underlying sense of pain.

He nodded. He understood. He wrapped her in a warm hug and sent feelings of gratitude, holding her hands in his.

Letha sighed, a small habit she had picked up from her son. "Be safe as you go back." She touched his heart. "Remember me."

Cody put their palms together one more time and closed his eyes. He smiled as he felt his mother's love wash over him, then her longing for her family to be whole, then her acceptance for how things were. Cody sent back his love for the mother he was still getting to know and a promise to come visit. Pulling away she touched his face one last time and then swum back to the pod. Cody watched her go with a sad smile. He would miss his mother, but he had other people he was missing more. And if he was guessing correctly, he was late in keeping his promise.

O0O0O0O

 **So perhaps more of a teaser chapter than I wanted it to be, but I had to get this out here. I'm still working on two other fanfics at the moment: Water In My Blood (based on Mako Mermaids) and H2O: Just Add Mermen (based off of H2O: Just Add Water). Check 'em out if you want. Stay tuned for the next chapter on this one. Also, comments and reviews are love and make my day amazing, if you would like to leave one I would love any feedback of criticism. Ciao!**


	2. Chapter Two

The Secret Lives of Fish – Ch. 2

Cody was ready to go, all the possessions he owned wrapped in a makeshift seaweed satchel slung across his back. Yet, he was suddenly nervous. With no way to know how long he had been gone for, he didn't know what kind of situation he would be returning to. He stared down at his tail again, the iridescent blues dulled down to deeper colors within the ocean depths. He had gotten so used to having a tail, even if he wasn't absolutely perfect at swimming with it. The fins on his arms felt like he had always had them and he couldn't remember what it felt like to not have them. The only thing strange to him now was his new found pudge of blubber and how pale his skin had become. He didn't see the sun down this low and his hard earned tan was long gone. His hair was also nearly to his shoulders, and he even had some stubble on his face.

He didn't look at all like the human he had once been. He was every bit the merman he had become. While the longing to return to the surface swirled within him, now that he knew he could return home – he was hesitant. His parents would accept him no matter what. He had no doubt of that. But what about Jess, or Sam? It had all been fine in theory, but he had seen the awe on their faces when he had shown his new tail to them the moment after he had changed. He'd been so full of energy and exhilaration after his transformation that leaping from the sea had seemed like the right thing to do. He'd replayed that moment of parting in his mind over and over in the last twenty-four hours. He'd still seemed partially human. Now… now he was more fish than man.

All his unknown hesitations weighed him down to the cold and dark ocean floor. He needed space to think. At a lazy, distracted pace he swam off to his favorite reef, keeping his thoughts to himself as he mulled everything over. His mother had made it clear to him that the transformation to get his legs back would be painful. He wasn't even really sure if it was possible, and he had sensed his mom hadn't known either. His situation must have been from the oldest memory stories. Why would a merman even ever want to go back to land? He really was an oddity.

What was better? Stay in the ocean with his mother and hope one day that he fit in with his own kind? That some mergirl would take pity on the strange creature he was? He was so solitary here among his own. On land he'd been popular and well liked. If he went back, he worried about the emotional and physical hurt that may come from going home. He staid stretched out on the sea bed until the deeper blues of night settled around him. No one had come to disturb him, probably on request of his mother. She knew this was no easy decision, and that it was also his to make. He hadn't felt this conflicted about anything, even when he first realized that he may not be fully human. Then he had been nervous, sure, but as he had changed he'd known he had no real choice but to embrace what he was becoming. Finding out he was a merman was like finding a side of him that was whole and comfortable in his whole skin. Now he was questioning everything. If he went back to land, would he be able to pass as human? Would he feel like a tuna without a school? Was he more human, or more merman?

It was well into the deep, unrestful hours of the night when he knew what he had to do. He had a home on land to return to, and he needed to take the risk of going back. He would always be a merman, but he missed that place where he'd been raised. He missed his friends and even school. His parents were there to help him, and he could only hope he had a friend in Jess, and Sam as well. It would be hard and painful, but he needed to go home. The longing he felt for the world above simply couldn't wait any longer.

O0O0O0O0O

The swimming back to the cove he'd grown up in was the easy part. He knew his way back home like a whale knows the place it was born. He knew the same sense of home would lead him back to his mother when needed. It was another reminder to him of the strange, otherworldly creature he had become. He drew electricity in his palm to light his way and no predator dare approach him in his sense of urgency.

Dawn was starting to blaze and warm the horizon as his head slipped above water for the first time in months and he took an air filled breathe. The buoy bobbed beside him, his natural electrical charge moving it to ring the familiar tune that he'd come to associate with his mother. Now it alerted to the quiet cove that he was back. He swam as close to the sandy shore as he dared. It was hopefully early enough that no one had come this way. Sometimes there was the occasional early morning jogger so he stayed hidden in the water, watching the day progress, and willing himself to go on shore.

He wasn't looking forward to that, the hard part, and his heart beat rapidly at the thought. What if he couldn't get all the way out of the water to dry off? What if someone came along and saw him and his tail? He'd have no way to escape them. Flashes of when Mr. Wheatly had caught him ran through his mind and made him sink a little lower in the gently lapping waves. He wished there was some way to alert his parents that he was there. His mom would know what to do.

Tiring of trying to make up his mind he went in search of lunch and decided to explore the cove from a different point of view. He knew these waters so well as a human, but as a merman they were new territory. He dove through the rocky outcroppings and was amazed by the things that had sunk to the bottom to lie in the substrate. He even saw a couple of his own belongings from when he was a kid lying in the murk. No longer able to put his task off, he shook himself from his exploration and swam up once again by his buoy. He stared at the shore line where he once would sit for hours with Sam and Jess.

He was nervous to see a lone figure making their way down the rocks. The sun had made its way well into the sky and he could only guess it was a few hours past lunch time. The figure walked slowly, cautious of the salt encrusted rocks. As they got closer, Cody hid farther, sinking back behind the red buoy. Within moments he heard the familiar dinging ring into the cove that signaled the presence of a merperson in the water. The person on the rocks stopped in their tracks and yelled out towards the water.

Cody recognized that yell, even if he couldn't make out the words. He dove under the water in a flash and swam for the rocky shoreline, his heart beating in anticipation.

Moments later he broke the surface just where the water reached waist deep, and a second later the arms of his mother were wrapped around his shoulders.

Sharron cried in relief and shock as her son wrapped his arms around her. She didn't care that the waves splashed around them and that she was soaked through. Her son was home!

"Cody! It's really you?" She pulled slightly away and gently cradled his freckled cheeks in her hands.

He was older looking, what with the small scruff on his face and the long, messy hair. But his brilliant and kind smile, with the crinkle around his eyes, was all him.

Cody nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He frowned, not realizing that he couldn't talk. Was it simply from not having used his voice box for so long? Or could merpeople simply not speak? He shook his head and smiled again at his mom. He'd figure it out later. At the moment he was so unbelievably happy to be home.

Sharron hugged her son tight again, and then pulled away to get a better look at him. He looked tired, wary, and kept giving her that voiceless smile.

"Cody?" She waited for him to respond but he just shook his head. Instead her head filled with images of her son swimming in the ocean. With a start she realized Cody was putting those images in her mind. Just like his birth mother had when she had come for him.

' _Mom? Can you understand me?'_ Cody concentrated hard as he tried to send his message from his mind to his mom's. He had seen his other mother do the same thing the day she'd taken him underwater. But it was hard and the little effort was already giving him a headache.

Sharron felt tears well in her eyes again but she nodded and forced a smile onto her face. "I can hear you." She hugged him again.

' _Home?'_ He was tired and emotionally already feeling the strain of being back. And his tail was starting to hurt from being tucked under him in the shallow water.

"Of course." Sharron stood and trudged out of the water, dripping.

Cody tried to follow suite, swimming in a little farther then stopping. He really didn't want to try changing in front of his mom. He knew it was going to be painful, if it was going to work at all. He paused and stared up at her. He needed the evening to figure it out.

Backing away, he watched as his mom reached out for him.

"Come on Cody, it's alright." Sharron saw the sad look on his face again.

Shaking his head. He swam back to where he was more comfortable. ' _Tomorrow_ ,' he thought to her. He then pictured himself with legs laying on the sand. ' _Can't until tomorrow_.' He grimaced as a migraine pounded its way through his skull. He was going to have to figure out how to use his voice box again.

Before his mom could respond, he dove underwater, letting the buoy ding its familiar tune as he slipped away.

Watching her son go nearly broke Sharron down into tears again. He had talked to her the same way she'd heard his birth mother, in her mind. She had seen him try to speak, but nothing had come out of his mouth. What had happened to her son while he had been away? For nearly another hour she must have watched the water, hoping Cody would come back. His last message had been clear – she should come back tomorrow and then he would be human. Maybe he didn't want her to see the change. Whatever it was, she wanted him back home and if this was how he needed to go about it, she could wait a few hours more. Crusty with salt but dried off she raced back up the beach, anxious to tell her husband the glorious news.

O0O0O0O0O

Super short, I know. But I realized today that it's been roughly a year since I worked on this story (how horrible of me, I know!) I was under the strange delusion that it had only been a few months… *insert cricket noises here*

Well, I hate unfinished fanfics as much as the next person, so I'm going to try and work on this more. The chapters won't be long, as I just don't have time for that right now. Uni is starting up again. YAY! Enjoy the small updates as they come, as I hope they can still satisfy your curiosity.

Faves, follows and critiques are always love! Happy Swimming!


	3. Chapter Three

The Secret Lives of Fish – Ch. 3

The first, bright rays of sun woke Cody early and groggily. His night had been unrestful, cozy on the ocean floor in a rocky cave he had found. Unfortunately, the cave hadn't been very deep and fish had come in at all hours of the night to see what he was. He had quickly told them to leave, but more followed. He'd finally fallen into a deep sleep when the sun just started coming up. It made him ache for his cozy seaweed makeshift of a bed in the deep blue ocean where he belonged. And it made him only want to return to land more, missing his old human bed.

Once more his head broke through the surface, the cool morning air filling his damp lungs. It felt weird to breathe straight air. It was thick and made him light headed. Scanning the beach, he knew no one was there. If he was going to do this, he needed to go on shore now. He couldn't hesitate like he had the day before. If he waited much longer he risked people showing up. With a sigh into the seafoam he ducked back under the water and swam the rest of the distance to the shore. His silver and blue tail shone just below the gentle waves.

The rocks scraped his stomach first as he reached the shoreline. With his hands he pulled himself as fall forward as he could. Awkwardly he dug his tail into the rocky sand and wormed up farther. He was definitely bruised and scraped up as he finally felt himself completely on dry ground. The water was receding as the ocean went out with low tide. Five minutes – he would allow himself that long to catch his breath before he would try anything else.

He kept his stomach on the ground, his tail drying out behind him, and his face covered in his arms. The sun was so bright it made him drowsy. He couldn't fall asleep, but his eyes drooped. He'd barely slept during the night and the sand felt warm on his skin.

O0O0O0O0O

He woke to the feeling of his skin burning. He winced and blinked over his right shoulder to stare at the sun, which was farther along across the sky. His tail felt heavy and when he blinked down he was shocked to see a tarp draped over it, hiding it from view. That was when he realized he wasn't alone. Whipping his head around he looked over his left shoulder, and smiled.

"Hey, Cody. Thought that was you I saw lying there."

Once more Cody opened his mouth to speak to Mr. Wheatly. Once more nothing came out. He opted again for his smile and nodded in the older man's direction.

Mr. Wheatly nodded back and rubbed his hands together. "It's been a while. Your mom called us up last night, saying you'd come back. Jess is completely excited. Nearly tripped over his contraption of a musical instrument three times." He gave a deep throated laugh. "Kid would have skipped school to see ya today if he hadn't had to go get you your homework."

School? Summer was over? All he could see from the cove was sand and rock. There was no way to tell what the weather was really like in his small ocean town. It didn't help that he had grown up on an island off the mainland. It had always been summer like there. Even in the winter time. Now he wished he could have seen fall leaves or winter snow, something to show him how long he had been gone. He would have asked Mr. Wheatly, but he knew that wasn't an option. Not at the moment at least.

Mr. Wheatly gave him an odd look as Cody still didn't respond.

"Well, I think we should get you to a better place. Somewhere more safe?"

That was probably best, now that Cody thought about it. As it was he was too tired to be of much use to even himself. He needed to be awake and strong if he was going to try and get his legs back. So, he nodded and rolled himself onto his back. His tail flopped uselessly along with him.

Pulling an old, scratched up flip-phone out of his pocket Mr. Wheatly called Cody's parents down to the cove. They sat there in companionable silence as the waves soaked the tarp around Cody's tail. He was surprised that there was still no one else to show up at the cove. It wasn't normal. Unless… it was winter? Could he really have been gone that long? He had left in late April. If it was winter, then he must have been gone… he did the mental math in his head. Eight months? Nine? The thought staggered him and he had to grip his webbed hands into the sand for support.

His parents showed up quicker than he would have thought they could have. They must have been home, waiting for him to come to them. His mom had expected him to have legs by now. He wondered what their reaction was going to be when they saw that he was still very much so a merman.

His Dad knelt down next to him and wrapped him in an embracing hug. "Cody, son."

Those simple words grounded Cody and brought him back home. His mom wrapped her arms around the both of them and Cody felt her sob again. He had his parents, and his best friend was excited to see him. Now he just had to figure out how to become human.

O0O0O0O0O

They decided the best place to hide a merman was in the boat yard. To get Cody back to his house would mean touting him through a suburb street and then trying to get him up a couple flight of stairs. People would wonder as to the strange, tarp wrapped and wet humanoid shape that they carried. If they tried to take him back home, they risked exposing him to the world. So, instead the boat yard became the best option. The three adults chipped in to lift Cody's heavy form into John Wheatly's waiting boat. Once at the dock they covered him in tarp and net, making it look like a simple haul, and then took him inside.

The Wheatly residence was a modest one. Only one story and only three rooms. For many years it had only been John and his son Jess. Miss Wheatly, who had been the love of John's life, had died when Jess was only five. The boy had always been small and frail, but John raised him with love. He didn't exactly understand how to deal with the bookish and eccentric child, but he tried to raise him to be kind and to believe in the possibilities around him. When John had seen a mermaid, it had only served to make the small family even more strange.

The bathroom in their quaint home was small but clean. The tub was the old fashioned kind with scrolled feet and a deep belly. Both men of the household preferred to use the smaller shower in John's bedroom, so it lay unused. At least, until today.

Cody squirmed in his wrappings and itched against the rough materials. He was drying out and starting to feel sick. He was a creature of the sea, a being who needed water to live. Being this far inland and out of the water for so long was not good for him at all. It made him feel vulnerable and exposed to a world that shouldn't know that he existed. It took nearly an hour to get him discretely into the house and in the tub. The self-consciousness he felt, as the water began to fill up around him, settled deep in his gut. His scales smoothed themselves out as the water healed his itchy and dry skin. Even though he was cramped, he knew he was in his element, even if it was smaller than a puddle.

"Can we get you anything?" His mom held his scaled hand.

The young merman shook his head.

"If you need us, son, we'll be just outside in the living room." His dad gripped his shoulder, still waiting for a verbal response.

Giving his customary nod and smile, Cody watched his parents and Mr. Wheatly walk out of the bathroom and shut the door behind them.

Once alone he felt himself finally relax and he sunk down into the tub, letting his head sink below the water. He could have done with a little salt, but it was better than being wrapped in scratchy cloth. He wanted to sleep and pretend he was back with his mom. Maybe the idea of coming back had been a bad one. He'd been so sure of it just the day before, but now he felt out of place. He wasn't a human. And with the way things were going he was unsure if he'd be able to become one again.

He did need to figure it out. His mom had shown him how and he couldn't spend forever in a bathtub. He squirmed around in the tub until he could reach the plug. With a quick tug he pulled it out and listened to the sound of water draining. Cody wondered if the adults in the other room could hear it too.

The water drained slowly and then he had to wait for it dry up. That would take the longest. And it did. He kept expecting someone to walk in and check in on him, but they didn't. He guessed they didn't know what to do with him. They didn't know him as the merman he had become. All they knew was that he looked strange and couldn't talk to them. He could tell his parents still loved him, but he was now awkwardly otherworldly. He really couldn't blame them for how standoff they were being with him.

Finally, he felt dry enough to try to change to human. With a slight struggle he pushed himself to sit up as straight as he could. Looking to the door he strained to hear any noise from the other side. Nothing came. Nervous, he lifted his webbed arms and held his hands only an inch a part. Sparks flashed on his fingers and he gulped. He could feel the tingle in his scales and knew this was going to hurt.

Three, two, one, he activated his electric charge and threw it from one hand to the next. His own charge flew through him and he winced. The shock surged down his fingers, to his shoulders and then hit him square in the gut. When it passed into his tail he bit his lip to keep from screaming. His hands shook as he watched changes start to happen. The scales on his hands slipped off onto the porcelain around him. His arm fins lit up like fire and he wanted to scratch them off. He held his hands steady despite the urges and itchiness. Then his tail started feeling like it was being stabbed with a knife and cut straight down the middle.

He did scream then, the sound slipping through his teeth as he bit hard enough on his lip to draw blood. Unable to help it then his hands fell apart as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. It was nothing similar to the pain he'd felt when he'd become a merman; a hundred times more intense and uncontained to a single moment. The bathroom door flew open just as he collapsed down into the tub, passing out from the pain.

O0O0O0O0O

Another short chapter, but things are moving forward. See ya on the flip side!


	4. Chapter Four

The Secret Lives of Fish Ch. 4

Whit sat in the rolling desk chair that he had pulled up to the side of the tub. Sharon had run home for a minute to grab some things to make them all dinner. The Wheatly's were off doing their respective things and he was grateful for the time alone to watch over his son. His son who looked so much like a stranger now.

They had heard Cody scream from the bathroom and all had rushed in to make sure he was okay. Whit had rushed in first to see his son collapse as he passed out. His tail had been twitching sporadically with scales flaking off here and there. The tub was drained and Sharon had instinctively moved past her husband to fill it again. The water slowly revived Cody's tail, healing the scales that had flaked off and also where his hands looked oddly rubbed raw.

Now Whit watched as his son still slept, his head below the surface, the occasional small bubble slipping from his lips to the surface. How did that work, anyways? Cody didn't have gills yet he breathed water just as easily as he breathed air. He shook his head and turned back to the book he had been reading. A few minutes passed when the water sloshed in the tub and he glanced over.

Cody stirred out of his blacked out unconscious state. He had dreamt he was racing a blue whale, stumbling over his own tail as they darted in and out of the under currents. Now he blinked up at the soft yellow light that filtered briefly to him in the cold tub water. He pushed himself up the best he could, he breaking the surface, and water splashing around him.

"Son?" His dad put his book out of reach and then rested a hand on his shoulder.

Per old reflex Cody opened his mouth to say hi, but his vocal box remained unresponsive. All that came out was an embarrassing low moan of a sound. He looked down at his tail and frowned.

Watching his son, Whit let it finally sink in that there was more differences with his son than they had originally thought. Not only was he half fish, but his voice seemed to have left him.

"Cody," he shook his shoulder lightly to get his attention. "Son, it's okay. We'll figure this out."

Shaking his head, Cody finally looked at his dad. He concentrated on projecting what he'd been trying to do before he had passed out. Him putting his hands together and then his tail being replaced by legs. Only it hadn't worked. His head ached as he watched his dad's eyes widen. He had apparently gotten his message.

Images flashed into Whit's head, surprising him. This was how Cody had communicated with them earlier. It was also how His birth mom had communicated with them when she had come to take Cody home.

"It didn't work?" He looked at his son's silver and blue tail. From what Cody had showed him, he'd been trying to change back to human. He didn't understand how that worked, but it seemed the young merman had some sort of idea.

Sighing, Cody nodded and let his once again scaled hands splash back down into the water.

"Oh." Whit was at a loss for words. If it hadn't worked, did that mean Cody was stuck as a merman? He didn't want to admit it, but Whit didn't have any idea what they were going to do if they couldn't get him human again.

After a few awkward moments of silence between the two, Cody slipped back under the water and shut his eyes. He had seen the small look of uncertainty and disappointment that had shown on his dad's face. If he hadn't felt so out of place before, he definitely did now. What had he done wrong? He thought back to what his mom had told him. Hold his hands together and let the energy surge throughout him. He had known it would hurt, but he hadn't expected to have felt like he was being torn in two. He didn't know if he would have the desire to go through that experience again.

But what was he to do if he didn't? Jess would have told Sam by now that he was back and she would want to see him. He wanted to see her too, but not like this. Not when he couldn't speak to her or sit at their favorite carnival restaurant. He could barely handle the looks his family was giving him. Having Sam look at him in the same way would be more than he could take. He needed to figure this out and he needed to do it quick. Shaking determination back into his mind, he sat back up once again and stared at his dad.

His already pounding from the previous effort, he projected a strong idea into his dad's head. It was him and his mom holding his shoulders, keeping him in place, while Cody once more tried to start the change. If his parents were there to hold him in place and encourage him, he thought he could have the strength to go through with Hopefully, this time, to get it to work as well.

Whit nodded in understanding as Cody rubbed his head from the effort of projecting his thoughts to him. He was going to try again, but he needed help.

"Got it," he nodded again. "As soon as your mom gets back from shopping, we'll try it."

Cody smiled and then let himself slide back down to rest under the surface. He was achy and now had a migraine. Maybe he'd wait until after he'd had one of his mom's home cooked meals. That would give him the energy he'd need. His eyes drooped closed and his slipped into a light restless sleep.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0

It wasn't until morning when Cody felt up to trying the change again. His mom had gotten home late, not being able to decide what food to get at the store at home. What did mermen eat? Fish, he convinced her with thoughts later. Which was fine since she had figured as much. He'd tried to eat the cooked tilapia she'd prepared, but it had made his stomach turn and he'd ended up throwing it up. After that his dad had handed him a raw fillet and told him to not be embarrassed and to eat.

After dinner it was his mom who had suggested they wait until he'd had a good nice rest. The stronger he was, she'd reasoned, the better of a chance he had to change back. He'd agreed.

Now that they held onto his shoulders, keeping him in place in the tub, he was terrified this wasn't going to work.

"Cody, is everything okay?" His mom rubbed his back.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded, and brought his hands together. Both his parents increased their grip on him, holding his shoulders steady. Sparks flew from his palms and fingers, shooting across the distance, and combining. The energy grew and began to draw up his arms as it had before. His forearms began to itch uncontrollably and he wanted to pull his hands apart. But one glance at his dad kept him going.

The energy reached his waist where his tail began, and from there the pain started. He gritted his teeth and groaned, trying to keep from screaming again. Jess and Mr. Wheatly were already out for the day, but he didn't want any neighbors to wonder what was going on. The energy moved down past what used to be his knees and flowed to the end of his fin.

Energy flashed through him in a sudden burst, ripping an unbidden scream from his mouth and pushing him back into his parents. The water sloshed around them as his tail splashed, shrunk, and the scales fell away to reveal pale human flesh beneath. His tail split, knees forming with a sound of grinding, and his fin shrunk into feet and toes. On his arms his fins flaked away as the scales on his hands slipped off into the water around him. For all intents and purposes he looked completely human again, if not for the webbing that stretched between his toes and a smattering of scales along his spine.

His hands separated as the energy faded and he fell back into his mom's arms.

His dad wrapped a towel around him, not caring if it was getting wet and stared at his now very human son. Cody breathed heavily and didn't dare look down. His body ached and he felt a tug in his gut.

"Come on, let's get you up and dressed." Whit pulled up on his son's elbow.

Sharon stood back in the small bathroom, giving the two of them space.

Cody braced his arms against the side of the tub and tried to stand. His legs slid uselessly against the porcelain tub and he splashed back down. His knees were hopelessly wobbly and he couldn't lift his weight on them.

Whit braced him as his son slid back down. On the count of three he and Sharon lifted him up and held him steady as his feet slipped under him. Cody couldn't seem to hold himself up on his legs. They felt rubbery and almost numb. With slow, impatient steps and leaning on his parents, he stepped out of the tub and sat on the toilet, towel wrapped haphazardly about him. Sharon left quickly to get him some clothes from a bag in the living room while Whit drained the tub and started cleaning up the sloshed water on the floor.

Watching his dad, Cody didn't dare open his mouth yet. His legs being so unresponsive was not a good sign for how well the transformation went. He felt his legs, somewhat numb still, but his mind kept wanting to move them as he would his tail. Concentrating he worked on wiggling his toes and rolling his ankles to stretch. He knew his dad watched him out of the corner of his eye, but now that he was out of the tub it didn't seem so gawky.

Returning after a few minutes Cody, embarrassingly, let his parents help dress him. He was able to put the shirt on just fine, but he couldn't navigate the boxers and shorts. His legs jerked slightly from the effort and he knew as he finally sat there dressed and looking human, that the change back had not been a clean one.

No merperson was meant to become human again after they made the transformation on their thirteenth birthday. He was such an odd case, his long time on land being the only reason any of this was remotely possible. Cody knew he should be thankful that he was back, but he couldn't help but feel he was now no longer human or merman.

Once more his parents helped him to his feet and he nearly fell over as they tried to let him stand on his own. His knees locked and they had to catch him to keep him up. Both parents groaned as they helped him to the small living room where there would be more space for all of them to talk. The pudge he'd developed for the cold water of winter migration still clung to him and he found himself thick and awkward. He wondered, briefly, if it was blubber under his skin. How merman was he still?

The answer came shortly as his parents started peppering him with questions. What was it like underwater? How did he come back? Why was he so late? What had he learned while away?

From his mouth all he could produce was a low, raspy groan. The words were there in his mind, but there was a disconnect for getting them out his mouth. He cleared his throat and produced a more solid grumble that sounded like mom, but only if you were creative.

His mom and dad gripped hands as they stared at him. Pity. That's what he saw in their faces.

Cody felt his heart drop. He was mute.

0O0O0O0O0O0

This was a hard one to figure out. Hopefully it makes sense. Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter Five

Cody stared at his hands, scale free but still pruned from the water. He'd been dry now for over an hour, but it was still weird to him to be sitting on a couch, dry and clothed. His parents were helping John Wheatly get dinner ready and Jess was on an old desktop trying to figure out how to help Cody get his voice back. Nursing a headache from the little telepathic communication he had been doing, Cody sat there in his silence. He wanted nothing more than to answer their questions and laugh with his dad. But it didn't happen. All his efforts resulted in his throat hurting and his cheeks red with anger and embarrassment.

His humiliation was only beginning. Sam would be there soon, having been invited for dinner. Cody was excited to see her. And nervous and scared and elated and horrified. Sam had been cautioned that Cody was still recovering, but he knew she had no idea what that really meant. Though he was pretty sure Sam would continue to be his friend, Cody feared he had lost his almost girlfriend. He would never blame her if she had given up waiting for him. Over half a year was more than enough time to move on.

"Hey son." Whit sat down on the couch next to him.

Cody gave a small nod and moved from looking at his hands to looking at his feet.

"Your mom wanted me to help you over to the table."

Right, because he couldn't walk on his own either. His dad grabbed his arm as he pushed himself up. His knees shook and his feet felt heavy, but he was standing. He let out a huge sigh of relief and with his dad's help began shuffling forward. Whit held tight and balanced his son, but for the most part Cody was walking again.

Sharon watched her husband and their son from the kitchen. Cody moved slowly but with a renewed confidence. Every step brought determination to his face. Maybe if his legs were recovering his voice would too. She could only hope. A knock came at the door as Cody lowered himself into his seat. Whit left his son to go let Sam in. Jess came in with them as John and Sharon started putting food on the small table.

Across the table Sam's eyes locked on Cody. His face lit up and he moved as if to stand, but stopped. Not deterred by his hesitation, Sam rushed to his side and embraced him in a hug.

"You made it back." There was such relief in her voice.

Cody wrapped his arms around her hesitantly, all his conflicting emotions making him unsure how to act. Releasing him, Sam stood and looked down at him. Her eyes quickly searched from the top of his head down to his feet then back to his face. There was no judgement there. She had always accepted him for who he was. Cody should have known to never doubt her.

"Why don't we all sit?" Sharon motioned to everyone and placed the last dish on the table.

Sam sat on one side of Cody and Jess on the other as the adults filtered around. The conversation started off light as Mr. Wheatly talked about his haul from that morning and Whit Griffith discussed how the tour business was still going great.

Cody found the normalcy of it all was exactly what he needed to calm his lingering doubts. No one pressured him to try to talk and they were all genuinely happy he was back. Dinner finished and Sam and Jess helped Cody to the couch. His legs felt even stronger this time and they only had to help him keep his balance. Sam and Jess talked with him for a few minutes about school and the swim team and what to expect when he came back. When he started yawning they got the hint. Sam gave him a light kiss on the cheek and said her goodbyes. Then it was time for Cody and his parents to leave the Wheatly's and head back to their lighthouse.

"Hey, Cody." Jess stared at his friend. His parents were packing up their things and Cody looked lost without anything to do.

Cody looked at his friend, signaling with a nod to continue.

"I'm glad you're back." Jess gave his toothy grin. "When you're ready to go back to school I'll be there to help."

Cody nodded and smiled back, then thought two words to his best friend. ' _Thanks Jess.'_

Jess's mouth fell open in amazement. He knew Cody could communicate telepathically, but it was his first experience with it.

"You're welcome." Jess smiled again then stood. "Text me when you want after school tomorrow and we can hang out. Maybe I'll even have some answers for all this by then."

With one more nod Cody watched Jess head to bed, then leaned back into the couch in exhaustion. To think he had gone to bed last night with a tail, and now he would be going to bed with legs. Not only that, but at his own house in his own bed. He had to wonder, as his parents started helping him to the car, if he'd find his mattress as comfortable as seaweed.

-TSLOF-

Two weeks. It had been two weeks now and Cody knew he had to go back to school. His parents weren't pressuring him, nor were Sam or Jess. He knew that if he didn't start going back now, he probably never would. Plus, he was going stir crazy. He spent most of his days walking down to the cove and staring at the ocean. He could no longer breath underwater and the ocean made his legs itch, so he mostly stayed out of it. But if he didn't go and at least stare at it he would feel restless and uncomfortable in his own skin. Truly, he was at this weird halfway between land and sea. Today he had felt more off than usual, so he'd gone for a swim. The ocean water soothed his emotions, while his body warred with itself. He'd have to make it a quick swim.

As the sun was dipping down and he was just passing the buoy back to shore. The familiar ding rand out as he passed, making him smile. He may be mostly human, but the ocean would always declare what he really was. He looked ahead and noticed a lone figure sitting on the sand, waiting.

Sam.

Sam watched Cody make his way towards her. He'd slimmed down since coming back and now was tan, lean and so much older looking. While he looked human, watching him swim reminded her of how different he really was now.

Cody stood up from the shallow water and plopped himself down next to his girlfriend just out of reach of the tideline. She glanced down briefly at his webbed toes and smiled.

"Hey." She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

' _Hey Sam.'_

Her smile brightened. While she missed his physical voice, hearing his voice in her head was still a good thing. Cody wrapped her hand in his and they sat there, comfortable in Cody's silence. He had gained back full use of his legs, but his voice was still gone. Even the small sounds he'd been able to make had left him.

With the absence of speaking, he'd been practicing communicating more with his mind. He'd had a constant migraine the first few days, but his mind had gotten stronger like his legs. He'd found that simply communicating with words and a few images here and there was the best method. While merfolk communicated with images and emotions, trying that method with humans proved unfruitful. So with his parents, Sam and Jess, he learned to talk to them and now it was becoming second nature. It still had its limits though. Apparently when he laughed it reached everyone around him, even those he wasn't trying to project to. If he yelled, it did the same thing. If he hadn't talked to someone often, his voice came in weaker and softer. On the other hand, those he was most familiar with could hear him no problem.

' _So.'_ He grabbed Sam's attention, looking at her serene face.

"So."

Cody smiled. _'I've decided to go back to school.'_

"Really?" Sam gave him a concerned look, her eyes squinting softly.

He nodded. _'I can't spend every day just staring at the ocean or reading. I'm back on land now and that means going to school like a normal person.'_

Sam laughed. "But you're not a normal person."

Cody gave his laughing smile with the bright eyes. _'No, I'm not. But only you and four other people know that. If I don't go to school, eventually people are going to want to know why. Besides, doing normal things helps me feel like I'm really not that different.'_

Sam understood. Cody just wanted to fit in. He wanted to embrace being human again. Going to school was probably the most normal thing he could do.

"Have you told your parents?"

' _Yes,'_ he nodded. _'My mom is going to come with me tomorrow morning to get me re-enrolled. There are some things that have to be worked out.'_

"What…" Sam was about to ask what had to be worked out. Then she got it. His voice. Technically he now had a disability. "Oh." She stared at him lamely.

' _Yeah. It's not like I can telepathically communicate to everyone. As far as anyone is concerned, I'm mute.'_ He paused and stared out at the ocean for a minute. _'I'm thinking about learning sign language so I can at least feel like I'm able to talk to others.'_

It was a good idea and Sam agreed. He couldn't just not talk to other people. And when she thought about how they talked now, it couldn't really continue. They could only talk freely like this when there were no other people around. It would look really strange just her holding a one-sided conversation and Cody just staring at her. It wasn't really something she'd thought so much about, but now she could see the problems.

"If you're going to learn sign language, then I should too. That way we can talk in school." Sam smiled. "We don't need people thinking I'm crazy holding conversations with myself.

Cody gave her that same laughing smile. _'Thanks, Sam. I'm going to talk to Jess about it too. My parents are going to start looking into hiring someone through the school once we get the official word from them.'_

Sam nodded and then wrapped Cody's arm around her shoulder, snuggling into his damp side. She was so happy to have him back.

-TSLOF-

Turns out going back to school wasn't such a simple process. Cody's parents had to supply medical documentation of Cody's speech disability and get the school to follow an IEP. The medical documentation proved to be the hardest part. After visiting three doctors they finally found one who could give a name to Cody's disability.

Aphonia. All the doctors were baffled as to how his larynx functioned just fine, but was still unable to produce sound. They had never seen anything like it before. At each doctor, Cody's parents lied through their teeth about what had happened. The official story was Cody had been biking and jumped a curb wrong. Falling off, and not wearing a helmet, he had hit his head. He hadn't had a concussion and they thought he was fine. The next day he'd woken up and his voice was simply gone.

The first two doctors, understandably, had been skeptical. The third had reasoned it was possible and finally agreed to work with them. He gave them the diagnosis as well as a treatment plan to work on getting Cody back his voice. He was mute, and he was trying to accept it.

The school had poured over the documents from Dr. Petersen and met with Cody and his parents every couple days to determine how to proceed. Seeing how Cody had been 'home schooled' for the end of the last school year, and at the beginning of the current one, they questioned why he was coming back now.

Sharon had explained that accusations of cheating had made him feel uncomfortable at school so they had pulled him out. However, with Cody's 'accident' they felt it best that he returned to an environment where he could have a professional team working with him to get his voice back.

It took a month, but finally a plan was established. Cody would be part of the beginning ASL classes and meet with a tutor during his free period to go over and speed up his learning sign language. During class the school would provide for him a tablet with programs that used text to speech. If he had any questions in class or wanted to say anything, he just needed to type on the tablet and it would speak his words aloud.

The prospect of it all made him nervous. He felt sure that his real secret would be discovered within a week. But one think was for sure, Cody was officially back in school.

 **Sorry this took me so long to get up. I've had major writer's block like no body's business. Plus, there were a couple things I had to rewrite a few times because I wasn't happy with it. Hope you enjoyed it! Can't promise when the next one will be up, but stick around. I promise it will come.**


	6. Chapter Six

**Thank you, thank you to all my patient readers. I've been aching to write lately and I've finally made my way back to this story. I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint. It's more of a transition chapter, but it should still be enjoyable. Remember, reviews are love!**

"Cody!" Jess flagged down his friend as he climbed out of his dad's truck.

Cody waved back and waited by the front doors for him. He'd been back at school for a couple weeks and was starting to get used to the stares. Clumps of students eyed him as they slipped inside the school. The first day back had almost driven him back to the ocean. He'd felt exposed and overly anxious, sure that any moment his secret would be discovered. In truth, everyone stared only because he had changed so much since he'd been in school last.

He'd left in April and now it was March, nearly a year later. He was extremely late to the school year and was struggling to catch up. Jess had dutifully collected all of his school work and had been working with him the last two months to get caught up, but it was a lot of material to cover. In his classes he struggled more than he had before, his grades showing just how far he had fallen behind. Jess tried to assure him he'd get it, but he doubted it would be anytime soon. He was already waiting for the summer.

Other than his educational struggles, his physical changes were obvious. He had slimmed down and gotten back his tan, but he just didn't look the same. Swimming in the ocean for nine months had broadened his shoulders, and given him a washboard stomach. He looked sixteen rather than his soon to be fourteen in a week. And an old sixteen-year-old at that. It was obvious that something had happened to him while he'd been away from school, he just hoped no one would figure out what.

Being mute wasn't helping anything either. He kept finding himself trying to speak out of habit, only to frown as no sound ever came out. His classmates, especially the swim team, stared at him when he used his tablet to speak for him in class. He'd gotten to using it less and less in the last few days to try and minimize the attention he was receiving. If only he could go back to the way his life had been a year ago.

"Hey!" Jess shrugged his gigantic book bag up higher on his back.

Keeping up with new appearances, Cody waved his hello.

"Did you understand the math assignment last night?" Jess opened the door as they walked inside.

Cody shook his head no and silently sighed. Then, doing what a former merman does best, he projected an image of him smacking his head against his math book in frustration.

In response, Jess laughed and smiled. "Yeah, I'm right there with ya."

Cody touched his friend's arm and motioned toward the office. _'My councilor wanted to see me before class.'_

Nodding, Jess adjusted his bag again. "Okay, see you at lunch."

Smiling, Cody gave him a fist bump then headed down the side hallway. He councilor motioned him in and he sighed as he took a seat. He could only guess what this was going to be about.

Mr. Maury shut the door and sat down in front of his computer. "I've been talking with our principal, Mrs. Devin, and your parents about the progress you've made this last week."

Cody gave him a questioning look.

"The school district would like to know how your communication device is working." He motioned to Cody's bag. "Could you pull it out please?"

Giving an inward sigh, Cody pulled the tablet from his book bag. This device was what he used instead of an interpreter. While he was still learning sign language at school, he didn't know enough to have an interpreter at school. Besides, with the assistive communication the tablet provided, the school thought he might never need one.

He turned it on and started typing out his response.

"It.. makes.. me.. feel.. like.. a.. robot." The monotone and mechanical voice spoke each word as he typed it.

"Have you tried other voice settings?"

Cody frowned. "This.. is.. the.. best.. one."

Mr. Maury nodded. "You'll get faster at it and it'll start remembering your typing style and common phrases."

Shaking his head Cody was about to put it away.

"You should at least try to use it more." The councilor crossed his arms. "Some of your teachers have mentioned you have stopped bringing it out in class. When they ask you questions you refuse to answer." He sat farther forward, the picture of worry. "Others have noticed you only hang out with a couple friends when you used to be so outgoing."

Cody shook his head again. "I.. am.. fine." The voice held no emotion. "I.. am.. just.. adjusting.. to.. being.. back.. at.. school.. again."

"I know. Just promise me you'll try a little harder to use your resources." Mr. Maury sat back and made a note on his computer. "I'll talk to you again next week, okay?" His voice was kind and he smile his goodbye.

Getting up to leave, Cody kept the tablet in his hand. Mr. Maury meant well, but he just didn't get it.

In the hallways few students were left as the final bell to get to class had already rung. Great. Now he would be walking into English late and have everyone staring at him. He stopped at the drinking fountain to top off his water bottle, then slipped into his classroom.

"Mr. Griffin, please take your seat and start on the pop quiz."

It was then Cody knew it was going to be a long day.

-T-S-L-O-F-

Cody sat next to Sam at lunch, his head in his arms on the table. He was only half way through the day but he could already feel a huge headache forming behind his eyes. His three morning teachers had seemed determine to get him to talk more. Mr. Maury's doing, no doubt. He could still hear the snickers of the couple swim team guys when he'd been forced to use his tablet to answer a direct question.

"Hey, is he okay?" Jess plopped down across from them, his brown lunch bag hitting the table with a slight squish.

"Hey, Jess." Sam picked at her pizza.

Cody didn't respond or move. He was preoccupied with pretending he was in the middle of the ocean somewhere.

"So I was thinking about our group project for history. If you two want to meet at my house tonight, I've got some ideas." Sam nudged Cody. "I'll even have my dad make some of his famous chocolate chip cookies."

"Definitely count me in!" Jess took a giant bite out of his sandwich.

' _Not tonight.'_ Cody finally lifted his head and looked at Sam. _'I need to go for a swim after school and get rid of this stress.'_

Sam frowned. "In the ocean?"

Jess took another bit and looked around them to make sure no one was paying attention.

' _Well I can't swim in the bathtub.'_ He frowned and started picking at his own pizza slice.

"Why not use my pool?" Sam watched Jess as he kept an eye out for ease droppers. Anyone listening would wonder at the one sided conversation.

Cody sighed. He guessed that would be fine. It was probably for the best anyway. Since his last swim in the ocean a month ago, he'd been sticking to strictly fresh water. His stomach had started to tug the closer he got to it and his legs and arms itched more than usual if he touched it. He feared if he started spending more time in it, he'd end up going through the transformation process again like he had last time. Somedays it was tempting to go back to his underwater home, especially on miserable days like this.

' _Will you both swim with me?'_ He stared at his only two friends.

"Only if you promise we'll work on some homework before hand." Sam squeezed his hand.

' _Deal.'_

"Good news." Jess sipped his drink. "I won't even need swim floats this time."

Cody smiled and laughed, his laughter echoing in their heads. He'd gotten better at controlling it so it didn't project to everyone around him. He was grateful for his friends. He stared at Sam and gave her hand a gentle tug.

' _Thanks Sam.'_ He looked at his best friend. _'Thanks Jess.'_

"Hey, what are human friends for?"

-T-S-L-O-F-

"So Cody will put together the slideshow, Jess will be in charge of gathering cool facts and resources, and I'll be the presenter." Sam shut her notebook.

The three friends sat outside in the cool evening air, their homework sprawled across the desk table in front of them.

' _Sounds good.'_ Cody scratched at his legs absentmindedly as they began to pack away their schoolwork. A moment later he stood and walked toward the pool. He and Jess had come dressed in swim shorts. Sam slipped inside to change as the two boys pulled off their shirts.

Jess had grown taller and slightly fuller in the last year, not nearly as lanky as he had been. Cody could swear his friend was now tanner than him. It was probably from all the time he spent snorkeling in the ocean doing his surveying and researching. He surprised Cody by jumping straight into the deep end and start swimming laps at ease.

Walking up behind her boyfriend, Sam took his hand and kissed his cheek.

' _When did Jess become such a swimmer?'_ Cody slipped into the water, Sam right next to him.

"A few months after you left. He was determined to keep up with you when you go back."

' _He should try out for the swim team.'_ Cody pushed farther into the deep end. His legs tingled and his hands ached. He knew his toes were still webbed, but the water did nothing to elicit any more changes.

"I think he's just happy to know his chances of drowning have greatly diminished." Sam laughed and dropped his hand. Taking a deep breath, she slipped underwater.

For a few moments Cody was content to just float and watch. He was serious about Jess trying out for the team. Sam was as fast as ever, but now Jess was easily keeping pace with her. Cody stared down at his feet and sighed. The webbing between his toes was slightly silver and glimmered in the pool lights. Just as his tail had in the moonlight in the ocean. He reached back and felt the permanent smattering of scales that reached a couple inches up from the base of his spine. He looked human, but he feared these two things would give him away some day. That and the fact that he could still easily outswim anyone and hold his breathe for long periods of time. He liked to pretend he was human and there to stay. Deep, deep down Cody knew he was still just a merman playing at being human. Eventually, though he didn't know when, he'd have to stop pretending.

"Hey, Cody!" Jess called to him from the other end of the pool. "You want to race us?"

Sam floated nearby Jess, a wide tooth grin plastered on her face.

' _You may be fast,'_ Cody smile and ducked underwater. His voice carried just as easily under the surface. _'I can still outswim you.'_

He gave two solid kicks with his feet, his legs working in tandem like his tail would have. Like a torpedo he shot forward and popped up in front of his friends, splashing water all over them.

Jess sputtered and Sam splashed him back, laughing.

"No fair!" Jess cried.

Laughing they started a game of tag, splashing around in the early evening. Try as they might, neither Jess nor Sam could catch Cody. He practically swam circles around his friends, happy to have this carefree moment to just be with two people who accepted him fully.

No one noticed the lone figure standing just out of view behind some bushes. He watched the trio joke around, a sneer on his face. He knew something was up, and he was going to figure it out. This time, he wouldn't let Cody get away.

 **DUN, DUN, DUN! I think it was about time I added a bit of intrigue. I've been doing research about different resources for disabilities. I though having technology to help would be an easier plot device anyway.**

 **Happy reading!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Hello Lovelies! I have another chapter for you all! Enjoy!**

Cody lay in his soft, cushiony bed that night. None of his decorations had changed in the past year. He gave a quirk of a smile as he stared up at the ceiling. He knew he could get up there again, this time knowing how to get back down. His tank of fish was thriving and he thanked his mom for that. All the familiar things in his room were gentle reminders of his underwater home and served to ease his out-of-place feeling.

Swimming with Sam and Jess had been exactly what he needed. They treated him the same as they had before. He was no different to them now and it meant the world to him. He flicked off his bedside lamp and sighed as his head sunk into the pillow. School would be easier tomorrow. He'd still be stared at by everyone else, but he would be more calm. He'd make sure of it.

-T-S-L-O-F-

Ringing and buzzing pulled Cody from his deep, restless sleep. He'd been out swimming by the buoy, someone in the distance screaming for him to swim as fast as he could. He had tried but his legs had felt heavy and awkward, unable to move correctly.

He shook his head and reached over to silence the alarm. A few small sparks flew from his fingers, but the alarm remained mostly undamaged. Laying there for a moment more, he tried to pull back more details of the dream The more he thought and focused, the quicker the vapors of sleep dispersed and he felt himself wondering what he'd been so worked up over.

The day went as usual as he could have expected. He got up and showered and dressed for school. His mom greeted him downstairs with pancakes for breakfast, and then his dad wished him a good day as he slipped out the door. The walk to the pier went as normal and he caught the ferry to the main land with the other students from his school.

He gripped the strap of his book bag tight as he stared overboard at the choppy water. Conversations floated around him and he tried to keep his thoughts to himself. Cody felt a twinge of jealousy as they laughed aloud and talked freely. They would never know how easily he could have communicated with them.

At school Jess greeted him like usual, and classes went like normal. Despite the snickers, he made an effort to use his tablet more. He had a voice and it was time he started using it, even if it was in this fashion.

When school was over, Cody walked with Jess to the pool. He knew the swim team would be there, getting ready to start their practice. The swim season for the year was winding down and they would be getting ready for the final meets. While it was too late for Jess to compete, Cody wanted the coach to at least see him swim so he could get him on the team for the next year. If they waited until the end of summer for tryouts, Cody feared Jess would have chickened out of the suggestion by then. Jess had already tried to protest, making excuse that he wasn't good enough or that he was too small. Cody wouldn't hear it and insisted he give it a go.

The coach was ecstatic to see the two of them. When Cody had suddenly left after the state finals, the previous year, Coach had been heartbroken. Jess was the one to finally speak up for the two of them.

"I'm the one who wants to join the swim team." Jess said, shaking slightly as the tall man stared him down.

"Sorry, what?" Coach looked at Cody, who looked down.

Cody considered himself the biggest idiot right now. With everything going on he didn't think that of course Coach would want him back on the team. He would never think the scrawny, nerdy Jess was there to compete instead. Cody had been the star, but now he would never compete on any swim team again.

Coach was staring at him and Cody finally realized he was waiting for him to say something.

' _Jess, I don't think he knows.'_

Jess's eyes widened as he came to the same realization. "Coach."

The older man looked back at the smaller kid. Wasn't he the one who had fallen into his pool last year?

' _Tell him I can't swim because of a head injury.'_

Jess took a big breath. "We thought you knew. Cody had an accident a few months ago…" He trailed off, not knowing how to best approach the subject.

Luckily, Coach was able to put the pieces together for him. "You mean that was this Cody?" He pointed at his former swim star. "Son, I'm sorry. You're mute now, right? Have some sort of problem with your head?"

Sighing, Cody nodded and finally looked up. His eyes met his former Coach's and he saw the pity there. He looked away again and took a step back.

"Well, just because you can't talk, it doesn't mean you can't swim." Coach crossed his arms.

"The doctors don't want him swimming until he fully recovers." Jess drew the attention back to him. "But both he and Sam have been teaching me, and Cody thinks I'm good enough to join the team."

"You want to try out this late in the season? Our meets are practically over and we're about to enter cool down practices. If you joined us now, you wouldn't know any of the routines or be able to keep up." The coach shook his head. "Sorry, but if you want to join, you'll have to wait for tryouts at the end of summer."

'Tell him I think now would be a good time.' Cody was determined.

Jess opened his mouth to protest, but the coach stopped him.

"Look, it's just too late in the year." Coach looked over at Cody again. "Perhaps, I could consider it if both of you joined the team. That way I knew Cody could at least help you out."

Shaking his head, Cody pulled his tablet from his bag. "COACH…PLEASE…GIVE…HIM…A…CHANCE…"

"Not unless you join with him." Coach sat back down behind his desk and nodded towards the door. "I'll give you both a week to think about it. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume that means I'll see you at tryouts for next year."

Jess had to drag Cody out of the office as he almost looked ready to protest again. Reluctantly Cody let himself be lead through the natatorium. He could feel harsh stared from his former teammates as they walked along the pool deck to the back doors. Sam gave them a small wave from her lane.

' _Later.'_ Cody sent her a shrug and she nodded back. Cody knew from their faces she could tell their meeting didn't go well.

Cody took in a deep breath of the fresh air as they made their way outside. He hadn't realized how much the chlorine had been bothering his nose.

' _It's not fair. You're just as good as the rest of the team.'_ Obviously the former merman was upset by the coach's decision.

"It's fine." Jess was honestly grateful for what the coach had decided. While it would have been nice to see what it was like being popular, he didn't really care. "I'd rather just swim for fun with you and Sam. You know I'm not really the competitive type."

' _I know.'_ Cody was still clutching his tablet in his hands. Coach had treated him so differently.

But he was different. He'd almost been ready to accept Coach's offer with a little arguing, but Jess had saved him. He looked down at his shoe clad feet where his webbed toes were hidden. If he swam in public, everyone would see. He knew he could never risk it. Ever.

' _Want to head to my house?'_ Cody put his tablet back in his bag.

"I can't. My dad brought in a big salvage yesterday and I promised him I'd help him go through it with today's haul." Jess turned to go. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." He waved and disappeared down the road.

Cody stood silently outside the natatorium as he watched his friend go. After a few moments he shook his head and turned to catch the ferry back home. He still had piles of homework to catch up on.

"Well, well, well. Look who's decided to finally come crawling back."

Sean and two other burly guys from the swim team stood in front of him, their arms crossed menacingly.

Oh, he was glad Jess had left. His friend may have gotten a little taller and added on a little bulk, but these guys meant trouble.

Silence spread around them and Cody sighed.

Sean gave a curt laugh. "Come on Cody. You and I used to be friends. Why are you still hanging around with that nerd?"

All Cody could do was shake his head and take a couple steps back.

Sean was waiting for a response. Despite the rumors around the school, he didn't believe Cody couldn't speak. He'd seen him the night before. Sam and Jess had seemed to talk back and forth with him just fine. It was all an elaborate lie for him to gain back his popularity after being caught as a cheater. Sean wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"If you think you can just come back here and join the team again, you're wrong. We've gone a whole season without you." Sean sneered again. "We don't need a cheater like you."

The three swimmers moved around him, backing Cody into the brick wall behind him. Anger was overwhelming him as he stared at his former teammates. It hadn't been his choice to leave. He clenched his fists and felt a few sparks fly through his fingers. His electric current was acting up with his emotions. He needed to either calm down or get away. If not, something unexplainable was going to happen.

Underwater, with his own kind, he had learned how to use his electrical current. He could concentrate it then send it out in bursts to stun prey or the occasional threatening predator that got too close. With the energy that was gathering in his hands now, he knew he was minutes away from getting dangerously close to sending out the same kind of pulse. It had been so long since he'd used it, he couldn't control it as well anymore.

"Come on Cody, say something. Tell us where you really disappeared to." Sean took a step closer. "I don't believe what Sam said about you being home-schooled. We would have at least seen you around town."

Taking a deep breath, the former merman tried to block him out. Physically he could tell him nothing, and for the sake of his family and his life as a human, he never would. But if he didn't get away, his own nature was going to tell everything. The electricity was starting to spark as he thrust his hands behind his back. He looked around the three guys, trying to find an escape route. If he ran, one of them would catch him.

"You know what I think? I think you made everything up. I think you got caught doing drugs and now you're trying to cover it up with some lame story."

Cody watched Sean take another step forward, only a foot left between the two of them. The slightly taller boy's eyes were full of menace and hate. How had it grown to this? Would it have been any better if Cody had told him the truth before he left?

Without warning Sean reached for his shoulder to shove him. On instinct Cody threw up his hands and pushed him back. His electric current kicked into overdrive and he felt the pulse leave him before he could stop it. His hands slammed into Sean and threw him back nearly fifteen feet, taking out the other two boys with him. Not stopping to see their reactions he took off toward the pier.

Almost immediately shouts echoed behind him as the boys recovered and began to give chase. The yells continued as he raced down the few streets that lead him back to where Pete's ferry would take him to safety. The crowds near the edge of town were starting to pick up as early season tourists flitted about to do shopping and get ready for dinner.

He was slowed to stop as he reached the ferry port. The draw bar was down and Pete's boat was gone. He could see it far out on the water, slowly chugging away from him. He had missed it. A small group of people stood around him. Most were locals waiting to head back to the island they all called home. Cody heard Sean holler for him as they finally caught up.

Heads were starting to turn and he knew he was about to be the center of a huge scene. Sean wasn't going to let this go now. Especially not after what just happened. How in the world was he supposed to explain that? He could have lived with Sean thinking him a cheater. But if the guy started spreading rumors that he was some sort of freak, then he was done for. He would never be able to go back to school again.

Cody glanced at the ocean in front of him and quirked a smile at the water. He always ended back at the ocean. It was almost comical that the water would always be his escape, even when he was trying to escape it.

"There's nowhere else to run, Cody! Why don't you face us?"

Heads were definitely turning now to look back at Sean and then back at Cody. He would need to create a distraction of his own or he was going to be found out here. This time he concentrated and brought his energy to his hands again. He felt the sparks gather as his current built.

"Face me Cody!"

As the heads turned once more, Cody focused his hands up and sent his energy at the light poles around them. One by one the lightbulbs glowed brightly and then burst. Screams and shouts littered through the crowd as everyone ducked as the lights sparked and small showers of glass rained down. Quick as a marlin, Cody dropped his back, slipped under the cross-bar and dove into the water. His bag and the tiniest of splashes was all the evidence left of his retreat.

 **Remember, reviews are love! I've already started on the next chapter so stick around. Happy swimming!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**I'm terribly sorry, as usual, for the horrendously long wait. Thank you to all you lovelies for your reviews. They give me the gumption to keep writing. Without further ado, enjoy!**

 **A/N: I don't own The Thirteenth Year or any of its characters. Just my own crazy ideas.**

-TSLOF-

The water just by the ferry docks was murky and full of junk. Cody spent only a second there as he kicked with his legs and shot forward into fresher water. His clothes weighed him down and he wanted to kick off his shoes, but he simply pushed forward. He would swim as fast as he could and stay under until his lungs screamed for air.

The usual twenty-minute ferry ride took him only five minutes to swim. Not once did he look back or come up for air until he felt he was far enough out into the ocean that no one would see him. He glanced around as he finally poked his head above water. Off in the distance he could just barely make out the pier. From what he could tell it was much more crowded than he would have liked. To be safe he was going to make a wide arch around the island to find a safe spot to go ashore.

The safest place ended up being the cove by his house. Exhausted he pulled himself up onto the sand and lay there. He had swum for nearly an hour in total, waiting until the coast was absolutely clear. His body ached and his leg muscles twitched. Without his tail he wasn't nearly as strong or as fast as he should have been. He could only hold his breathe for around ten minutes at a that time and it bugged him. In fact, he was a little shocked to realize how much it really did bother him. He no longer felt like he really belonged in the ocean. If today's incident also proved anything, he didn't belong on land either.

Pulling himself out of the surf's reach, he finally kicked off his socks and shoes. His toes were cramping and as he stared at them, he swore the webbing looked thicker and longer. Shaking his head, he tried to stand, only to collapse back to the sand as his knees buckled. He tried again and found that he couldn't get his knees to bend properly or hold his weight.

Now he was starting to panic. He hadn't swum in the ocean like this for a couple months. There had been maybe one or two dips here and there, but nothing to this extent. He had avoided it, afraid that this exact thing would happen. What had it done to him? He reached for his backpack where he kept his phone, only to remember that he'd left it behind on the pier. If he didn't have his phone to call for help, what could he do? The only solution was to go swimming for help. He looked back at the ocean and saw John Wheatly's boat plugging toward shore. How grateful he was to that man and his routines. If he swam fast enough, he should be able to reach him before he docked.

Crawling with mostly his arms and hips, Cody inched back into the mellow surf and swam towards the old, rickety boat. His socks and shoes lay discarded in the sand behind him.

-TSLOF-

John whistled quietly to himself as he steered his boat towards the docks. He was late meeting his son to go over his haul from the day. Today's pickings had been slim, but he didn't mind. He really just enjoyed being out on the water.

The familiar wooden platforms surrounded by fishing boats came into view. He adjusted his hat and realigned the steering while he dropped his speed. The quieting of the engine brought his attention to the voice echoing inside his head. Slightly startled he lowered himself to the main deck and looked over into the dark water.

"Cody!"

Sighing, Cody waived, struggling to keep himself afloat in the boat's wake.

'Mr. Wheatly! Can you stop your boat for a moment?' He swam forward as he projected his thoughts, he legs feeling like rubber attached to his hips.

"Of course. Hold on a just one moment."

Mr. Wheatly momentarily disappeared back up the ladder and cut the boat's engines. Hurrying back down he grabbed the anchor and chucked it over the side. It took a couple minutes, but finally Cody was able to grab the drop ladder in the back and take a breather.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" John was leaning over the water, staring at him.

Cody didn't even know where to start. 'Can I climb aboard first?' He felt so exhausted he could have fallen asleep right there. His mind was foggy and he was finding it hard to send his thoughts.

"Sure, sure." John stared down at him, waiting. It took another moment but he finally realized just how exhausted the young man must be. He reached down grabbed his wrists. "Just hold onto my arms and I'll help ya."

Nodding gratefully, Cody went to grab the plaid long sleeves and stopped. His hands were covered in blue, silver and green scales. He needed to get far away from the water. Latching tight to the older man and with much huffing and heaving they were able to slip him up over the side of the boat.

Cody knew by John's reaction that he was worse for the wear than he had thought. He closed his eyes and lay there on the well-worn deck wood. There was no way he was ready to look at the state his legs were in just yet.

"Cody, son?" Mr. Wheatly sounded concerned, which was not a good sign. "I'm going to raise anchor and take us in. Jess should be there and he'll be able to help."

Nodding, Cody listened to the sounds as Mr. Wheatly got the boat moving again. The engines chugged as they slowly came back to life. After a couple minutes passed, Cody finally opened his eyes again.

The first thing he elected to inspect was his hands. His palms were covered in scales, glimmering in the early evening light. His wrists were bare and he was relieved that his wrist fins hadn't grown in as well. With a huff he propped himself into a sitting position and frowned down at his legs. His feet were gone, replaced by long, flat flippers. His knees lay flat and rubbery. He was half-way to having a tail. Scales even covered his ankles and up his calves. Taking off his shoes must have left enough space for the transformation to progress faster.

His head was heavy and he was feeling dizzy as he heard Mr. Wheatly shout to shore. Fear gripped him in his haze as he realized there could be other people around. His world tilted as he rolled over looking for a blanket to cover himself. An old ratty tarp served the same purpose as he yanked it over him. A flashback to when he had first changed bombarded him. He'd been on the same boat in nearly a similar situation. Only this time his mother wasn't here to help him.

The boat jarred as it connected with the dock. Mr. Wheatly had climbed back down and was throwing lines to the anchor hitch on the dock. He could hear Jess calling back to his dad as they worked in tandem to secure the vessel.

Cody caught his name in the conversation, but he was too out of it to pay attention to much else. Then Jess was kneeling by him as his vision grew fuzzy.

'Hey Jess,' he managed to think. Then he fell back against the deck, exhaustion and stress finally winning over and sending him unconscious.

-TSLOF-

Jess stared down at his friend, barely able to catch his head as his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

"Cody?" Jess pulled back the tarp and gasped. "Dad! What happened?"

John left the lines, sure they were secure, and stood by his son. "No idea. I was coming towards the docks and he just appeared port side. He looked like that when I pulled him aboard."

"I left him at school just over an hour ago. He was completely normal!" Jess ran a hand through his moppy hair.

"We need to get him inside and get his folks called." John replaced the tarp over the young merman, worried other people might see. Jess nodded and with his dad's help wrapped him in a net. Disguised as one of John's salvage hauls they helped the passed out merman inside and into the bathroom. Jess worried over his friend as his dad went to call the Griffiths. He was just about to start the water when he heard a weak voice in his head.

'Don't.'

The thought was quiet but firm. Nodding, Jess sat back on his heels and met his groggy friend's eyes.

'Am I laying in your tub again?' Cody blinked, clearing his blurry eyes, and pushed himself into a half sitting position. His flippers slipped against the slick linoleum, offering little help.

"Yeah. My dad's calling your parents to come get you."

Cody nodded and then let himself slide back down in the tub, unable to keep himself sitting with the way his legs were. He stared down at his fins as his vision cleared slightly and a heavy headache formed behind his eyes.

After a momentary pause Jess finally had to ask. "What happened?" He was incredulous. "Why did you go swimming in the ocean? Weren't you worried something like this could happen?"

'Sean and two guys cornered me.' Cody closed his eyes. 'It was just after you left. I had to get away and in the end, the ocean was the only way out.' He would tell him about the lights and whole sending Sean flying later when his brain didn't feel like imploding.

"You couldn't have come here?" Jess didn't get it.

'I was trying to catch the ferry, but it wasn't there. People were starting to stare and I guess I panicked.' He closed his eyes tight and let his head lolled back. 'I did the only thing a merman could do.'

Jess frowned and took a closer look at his friend. His face was drawn and from the way he was squinting his eyes tightly shut, he probably had a massive headache. His fins had shrunk a little bit and some scales had flaked off, but he was still far from being human.

A knock came from the bathroom door as Mr. Wheatly poked his head in. "Your parents are on their way."

'Thanks Mr. Wheatly.' Cody didn't open his eyes.

"Of course. Jess, why don't you go work on your homework and let Cody rest a little?"

Standing, Jess gave his best friend an uncertain look and then left without a word.

With the bathroom door shut, the merman sighed again and cracked an eye open. Why was Jess so upset? It wasn't like this was happening to him. As he sat there, he could feel his knees and feet struggling to reform. He held up his hands and let his current run through him.

The pain blossomed quickly and he could only hold it for a few seconds as his head began to feel like it was splitting open. Wincing he pressed his scaled hands to his temples, hoping that would offer a little relief. After a minute of deep breathing he peeked down at his legs again and was unsurprised to see that nothing had changed.

His parents found him ten minutes later. His eyes were pressed tightly shut with his arms braced around himself. His feet still looked like flippers, but slightly more humanoid looking with some scales sluffed off in the tub.

"Son?" His dad knelt down next to the tub while Sharon and John stood by the door.

Cody blinked slowly, his eyes dilating wide with the bright bathroom light. He couldn't get his thoughts straight well enough to think anything, but he did manage a pained smile.

"We're going to get you home. Just rest."

The three adults backed out of the bathroom, keep their voices hushed.

"Thank you for helping him John." Whit hugged his wife.

"I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time." He glanced back toward Jess's bedroom where his son was reading through his biology textbook. "Jess was able to get a couple answers out of him. It seems Sean and some swim team members cornered him."

"So he had to jump into the ocean?" Sharon shook her head. "Something drastic must have happened for him to take that resort."

John shook his head. "You'll have to ask him when he's feeling better. He doesn't look good, but he told Jess not to fill up the tub."

Whit nodded. "He's probably worried that if he stays wet he won't change back."

"We'll get him home and into bed. Thanks again to you and Jess. I don't know what we would do without the two of you." Sharon gave John a brief hug and then gave her husband a nod.

Walking back into the bathroom, Sharon knelt by the tub this time and ran a hand through her son's shaggy hair. It was getting long again and reminded her of when they had just gotten him back.

'Mom?' The one word broke through Cody's tired thoughts.

"Hi honey. We're going to get you to your own bed to sleep okay? Do you think you can try sitting up for us?"

Cody squinted as he tried to focus through the pain in his head. Using his sticky, slightly scaled hands, he pushed himself into a sitting position. His fins looked more like feet, his toes starting to form as the webbing shrunk and receded a little more.

His dad and John reached down and lifted him under the arms to try and help him stand. His ankles and knees still refused to hold his weight. Grunting the older men struggled to lift his legs into their arms, carrying him between them cradle style to the car. Sharon rushed around with a blanket, draping it over his legs as they ventured outside to where the minivan waited. Cody was placed on the middle bench, the blanket tucked around him as he closed his eyes again.

John hopped into his old tow truck and followed the Griffiths as they drove home. Jess stood in the doorway, having watched part of the spectacle. What had his friend gotten himself into?

 **Sorry again that this took so long. School just keeps taking more and more of my time. Now that I'm on holiday, I'm going to try and get at least one more chapter posted for you all. Happy swimming!**


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